Rick and Morty Season 7 suffers on Rotten Tomatoes

Though there’s been plenty of hype surrounding the Rick and Morty Season 7 premiere, the latest chapter of the sci-fi animated series hasn’t had the best start over on Rotten Tomatoes. 

The latest chapter of Rick and Morty was already on shaky ground after Adult Swim cut ties with co-creator and voice actor Justin Roiland, leaving fellow co-creator Dan Harmon to lead the charge. 

Since Roiland voiced Rick, Morty, and a whole host of characters, fans were left feeling apprehensive about how the series would look moving forward. And they were left in the dark about who’s taken over until the Season 7 premiere on Sunday. 

Though there’s been plenty of praise shared for the similarities between the new Rick and Morty voice actors and Roiland’s iterations, it’s not been enough to bag the episode a solid Rotten Tomatoes rating. 

Rick and Morty Season 7 suffers on Rotten Tomatoes

So far, Season 7 of Rick and Morty has a 50% critics Tomatometer rating and a 43% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes – a stark contrast to its respective 97% score for Season 1. 

It’s worth pointing out that we’re only one episode in, with nine more to go – meaning this figure will change in the coming weeks. We’ll be sure to update this space as and when it does. 

Check out the previous seasons’ Rotten Tomatoes scores below: 

• Season 1: 97% critics, 97% audience
• Season 2: 91% critics, 97% audience
• Season 3: 96% critics, 95% audience
• Season 4: 96% critics, 84% audience
• Season 5: 86% critics, 60% audience
• Season 6: 91% critics, 86% audience

As for what the critics are saying about Season 7 so far, Inverse’s Jake Kleinman wrote about the first two episodes: “It’s become increasingly clear that the once-brilliant sci-fi cartoon has run out of ideas, and we may be at the very start of a long and painful slog to the finish – even if there’s still some fun to be had along the way.”

IndieWire’s Alison Foreman added: “Justin Roiland is out and, while the two voice actors replacing him as the titular mad scientist and his grandson are strong sound-alikes, you’d think the smartest Adult Swim show in the multi-verse would have a cleverer response than this to its unceremonious kneecapping.”

Of the more favorable reviews, Rolling Stone’s Alan Sepinwall said: “Whatever character voice is necessary, Rick and Morty still has it, even if its comedic voice isn’t on its strongest possible display at the start of the new season.”

For the fans, the biggest pain point has been the voice changeover. Though many couldn’t tell the difference between Rick and Morty – with Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden taking on the respective voice roles – the main criticisms are aimed at other characters Roiland portrayed. 

“Watching this new Rick & Morty episode, the new voices for the characters doing a very, VERY good job, that it feels like Roiland himself,” wrote one on X/Twitter. “But other characters he voiced also have new ones, and they don’t sound as good. (Looking right at you, Mr. Poopy Butthole’s new voice).”

Another expressed their thoughts on the episode as a whole, writing: “Season 7 of Rick & Morty didn’t exactly launch the season strongly. Rick sounded monotone and lacked any lines that would test the new voice actor. The show lacked something in the premiere, maybe it’s the lack of Roiland’s improv or maybe it’s just a weak episode.”

Rick and Morty Season 7 Episode 1 is out now, and you can check out more of our coverage below: 

• Who’s voicing Rick and Morty?
How to watch Rick and Morty Season 7
• Who does Hugh Jackman play in Rick and Morty?
• Rick and Morty Season 7 release schedule